Sunday, August 31, 2008

Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, 2000

Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, 2000

Last night we dined at Tilth, in Seattle, and we brought a bottle of Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon that we had in our cellar for the past 5 years. Each year Columbia Crest produces some reserve wines from grapes hand-picked from their top vineyard sites. Only 1000 cases of this reserve Cabernet Sauvignon were produced from the 2000 vintage and it was rated 93 points by Wine Spectator magazine. The head waiter kindly decanted the wine and provided us with some lovely Bordeaux style glasses. The color of the wine was deep red with some crimson. The aroma was both intense and exotic with lovely cherry, plum, coffee, cedar and spice. The mouth- feel was luscious with deep current, cherry, cocoa, earth and some toasty oak. This was a full bodied wine with abundant ultra-smooth mature tannins and excellent depth and length. The aging of this wine enhanced the elegant integration of the abundant fruit, toasty oak and tannins. This wine was well worth the $30 price tag (in 2003) and represents one of the best Columbia Valley Cabernets we have ever enjoyed.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Sicilian Stuffed Mushrooms

Sicilian Stuffed Mushrooms


24 large Crimini Mushrooms (about)
½ loaf of a Rustic Country Bread
3 cloves garlic
1 small bunch Fresh Italian Parsley
1 cup Fresh Spinach Leaves
¾ cup Marsala Wine (sweet of dry)
4 tablespoons Olive Oil (plus some for drizzling)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Black Pepper, to taste

Preheat oven 375 degrees.

Remove stems from mushrooms and place them in food processor, with 2 cloves of the garlic, finely chop. Add the 4 tablespoons of olive oil to large sauté pan and place over medium/high heat. Sauté chopped mushroom stems and garlic for about 5 minutes then add the ¾ cup of Marsala wine. Simmer the mushroom and wine mixtures for another 3-5 minutes, to reduce liquid by half, and remove from heat to cool. Cut bread into small pieces and place in food processor along with parsley, spinach, remaining garlic clove and some salt (just a little) and pepper. Process until the bread mixture is finely chopped and a beautiful green color. Place bread mixture in bowl with the ¾ cup Parmesan cheese and add the chopped mushroom mixture, stir well. Align mushroom caps on lightly oiled sheet pan and fill each cap with a large dollop of the bread mixture. Slightly compact mixture to over fill the mushroom caps. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and bake for 30-45 minutes until well browned and crispy. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Feudo Arancio, Syrah, 2005

Feudo Arancio, Syrah, 2005

Feudo Arancio cultivates its own grapes on two large estates along the windy south coast of Sicily. They have about 1,500 acres of estate vineyards are planted in single varietal fields in order to offer 100% single varietal wines as their final product. Their modern wine facility produces a large quantity of every day, single variety wines, at very affordable price. Last year I reviewed their 2004 Nero d'Avola, that is indigenous Sicily. This time we are drinking the 2005 Syrah that is a medium bodied, easy drinking red that is a major divergence form the "fruit-bomb" Aussie Shiraz that are so popular. This wine has a medium dark red color with good clarity and translucency. On the nose is ripe strawberry and cheery with a hint of earth and spice. The flavors are those of cooked berry compote with plums, chocolate, leather and some dusty minerality. The wine is smooth and soft with a touch of pepper on the finish. We enjoyed this Syrah with some Sicilian Stuffed Mushrooms. This wine is available at Washington State Liquor stores for about $8.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Avignonesi Rosso, 2005

Avignonesi Rosso, 2005

Avignonesi consists of four wine-producing estates around Montepulciano and the surrounding area. This Rosso Di Toscana is a blend of 40% Sangiovese, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. This is an everyday table wine that has a deep violet red color with good clarity. On the nose are wild berries, spice and some grass. This is a medium bodied wine with a solid core of tart cherry, strawberry and plum. Tannins are low and the crisp finish cries out for some hearty food such as pasta with spicy tomato sauce or a pepperoni pizza. This simple Tuscan red is available at Pete's Wine Shop, in Bellevue, for about $13.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Paternoster “Synthesi” Aglianico, 2004

Paternoster “Synthesi” Aglianico, 2004

We enjoyed a bottle of this lovely Italian red wine while dining at NOPA, in San Francisco, this past weekend. Aglianico is a grape variety that does well in the volcanic soil of southern Italy. This grape is known to produce wines with intense flavor and concentration. This 2004 Synthesi has a dark blood red color with nice clarity. The nose is packed with black fruit and a splendid perfume of spice box and violets. The flavors are those of mineral-accented black berry, cherry and cola. This is a full bodied wine that is quite fruit forward but has a backbone of solid tannins and gentle acidity. This wine is ripe and full-flavored and has excellent depth and length. We had an outstanding dinner at NOPA and this wine added to the overall experience

Catena Malbec, 2006

Catena Malbec, 2006

Over the past 15 years Nicolas Catena has turned a family-run "table wine" winery into a top notch winery that is producing high quality wines with the Mendoza classification. Bodega Catena is producing wines under the labels Catena, Catena Alta, Catena Zapata and Alamos. They have both red and white wines and really excel an Malbecs and Cabernet Sauvignon. This 2006 Argentine Malbec has a deep ruby color with purple highlights. On the nose is the sweet scent of black cherry, current and coco. This is a medium to full bodied wine with flavors of dark berries, cranberries, chocolate and caramel. The tannins are smooth and well submerged and help offset the bold acidity. The finish is smooth and lingering. We enjoyed this Malbec at Zuni Café, in San Francisco, with their signature roasted chicken with bread salad. This was an excellent wine accompanying an excellent meal!

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Michel-Schlumberger Cabernet Sauvignon, 1998

Michel-Schlumberger Cabernet Sauvignon, 1998

Michel-Schlumberger winery is located on the western hillsides of Dry Creek Valley and has a well-earned reputation for its excellent Bordeaux varieties. They take pride in their sustainable wine growing techniques. Sonoma County is one of the great wine regions of California and this wine has a beautiful expression of the region. We bought this bottle at the winery and had it cellared for the past 6 years. This wine has a medium ruby-red color with a scarlet rim. On the nose is sweet dark fruit with exotic spice and green tea. This is a medium bodied wine with a complex mix of black cherries, fig, spice, rhubarb, slate and cedar. Supple tannins combine with some expressive acidity to keep it interesting. The finish is lingering and harmonious. We enjoyed this with a casual weekend dinner off the grill. The present vintage of this wine retails for about $38.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Chandler Reach 36 Red, NV

Chandler Reach 36 Red, NV

Chandler Reach Winery is located in Benton City, Washington on the fringe of the Yakima Valley and Red Mountain appellations. They have been producing some lovely wines over the past 5-10 years with an emphasis on Italian style and quality varietals and blends. This 36 Red wine (non vintage) is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and perhaps Syrah and Merlot. The wine is named after a weather beaten 1936 red flatbed truck that belongs to the owner/winemaker Len Parris. All the fruit is sourced from the Chandler Reach estate vineyards and the wine is aged in oak barrels for over 20 months. This is an easy drinking wine with pleasant dark berry flavors of cherries and raspberries along with some cranberry and plums. This is a medium bodied wine with smooth tannins and a lingering, harmonious finish. We enjoyed this wine with some barbecued chicken and corn on the cob. A very nice summer wine. We purchased this at the winery for about $14. Their new winery and tasting room is fashioned after a Tuscan villa and is well worth a visit!

Click Here to Download a YAKIMA VALLEY WINE MAP (Courtesy of Wine Yakima Valley)